Cisco Beach goes coast to coast in QHRAI Stallion Service Auction Derby Trials at Horseshoe Indianapolis

The final race of the day Saturday brought out the final contenders seeking a spot among the top 10 headed to the upcoming $115,213 QHRAI Stallion Service Auction (SSA) Derby at Horseshoe Indianapolis.

That trial produced the quickest winner on the day as Cisco Beach went Coast to Coast for the win in a time of 19.819 seconds. A total of 37 starters were contested over four trials for the event.

Starting from post eight, Cisco Beach broke out of the gate on point and was leading the field early in the 400-yard dash. As the wire neared, he was able to clear his closest competitor, DNA Jess Plain Bill and Diego Villamil Bocanegra, to his inside and get the win by one length. Jess a Flyin Train and Edgar Diaz finished third. All three horses will advance to the final.

Cisco Beach (photo) was the heavy favorite for a good reason, paying $3.20 for the win. He is by Indiana’s all-time leading Quarter Horse stallion Escondido Beach, who stands at the Miller Ranch in Shipshewana, Ind., and he’s the son of former Indiana stakes contender, Tru Lee Quick, who just saw her daughter, Drinkinatacartelbar, win the Jaguar Rocket Futurity earlier this summer.

Cisco Beach earned his first win of the season after some brief setbacks earlier this season but now appears back on track for owners Pam Hann and Craig Zeneberg. Bred by Duane Swingley, Cisco Beach is trained by Tony Cunningham, the track’s all-time leading Quarter Horse owner.

“We’ve had a few setbacks,” admitted Cunningham. “The first two outs this year, he hopped out of the gate. We worked with him and put a nose ring and flipping halter and then stood him in the gate for a week or so. He ran good in his trials for the Blue River Derby, and I’m not really sure what happened in the final. He was a little off his game that day. But he came back strong today and ran an impressive race.”

Joining Cisco Beach as a trial winner and advancing to the final was Tres of Blood from the Claudio Barraza barn. The Apollitical Blood gelding, owned by Campos Family Ventures, came into the race off a win in the Horseshoe Indianapolis QHRAI Derby. Ridden by Edgar Diaz, he was equally impressive in his trial, leading from gate to wire for the win by three-quarters of a length over AP Miss Lunas Tide and Francisco Quintero. Brillant Speed and Aron Hunt finished third in the dash timed in 20.084.

Other trial winners on the day for the QHRAI SSA Derby included Eyesa Dashin Josie (:20.162) and Cleave (:20.225), who are all headed to the final.

The QHRAI SSA Derby will present the largest purse of $115,213 in the 26-year history of the race in Indiana. Prior to the arrival of pari-mutuel Quarter Horse racing in the state in 1997, the race, along with the QHRAI SSA Futurity, was held in different states on a rotating schedule, including Mount Pleasant Meadows in Michigan, Beulah Park in Ohio, and the DuQuoin State Fair and Pit Run Park in Illinois.

Both the QHRAI SSA Derby and Futurity will be part of the all-Quarter Horse racing day Aug. 31 beginning at 10:45 a.m. The Futurity will mark the first Graded Stakes event ever held for Quarter Horse racing at Horseshoe Indianapolis.

QHRAI Stallion Service Auction (SSA) Futurity

Trainer Ricardo Martinez set the bar with Runninagainstdwind in the second of seven trials for the QHRAI Stallion Service Auction (SSA) Futurity with 61 total entrants.

Then, it was his other entrant, Killin Time, who picked up the top spot in the final trial on the program to lead the way into the upcoming Futurity Final, which will be showcased as a Restricted Grade 3 event, the first Graded Stakes for Quarter Horse racing at Horseshoe Indianapolis set for Aug. 31 at Horseshoe Indianapolis.

Killin Time (photo) and Martin Munoz began from post two in the full field of 10 and got a great break. The freshman filly was steady throughout, tracking DNA Politicalfighter to her inside, who led the entire sprint. In the final strides, she was able to move up and move in for the win of the 350-yard dash by a head over DNA Politicalfighter and Diego Villamil Bocanegra, who turned in the second fastest time on the day. Sloww Downn and L.S. Martinez finished third. Time of the sprint was 17.852 seconds.

Killin Time was making her first appearance at Horseshoe Indianapolis after only one start at Sam Houston, so local racing fans didn’t have a lot to go by on her past performance. Therefore, she was overlooked at the windows, paying $10.20 for the win. The Lota PYC black filly is a homebred from Whiting Ranch in Texas. She is now one for two and only one of two fillies headed to the QHRAI SSA Futurity Final, joined by Flashy Beach DHD. It was her first start for trainer Ricardo Martinez.

“We’ve had her quite a while and had time to work with her,” noted Martinez. “I was a little nervous saddling her because her full brother (Kadillaking) flipped in the paddock and was scratched earlier, so I wasn’t sure what to expect since this was the first time saddling her, but she was great. She’s a nice filly.”

Martinez and Munoz also teamed up for a win with Runninagainstdwind in the trials to secure the third spot on the final leaderboard. The lightly-raced son of Uncle D broke well and took over the top spot early from the center of the track, striding out to a two-length advantage at the wire in 17.893. Paradise Beach and Edgar Diaz finished second in a photo with Home Team and L.S. Martinez.

Runninagainstdwind was a mild surprise for his backers, paying $9.60 for the win. The Oklahoma bred hails from H & E Ranch and is owned by Martinez. He earned his first career win in his fourth career start.

“This horse has been running well, but he got smashed all over the place in the last futurity final,” observed Martinez. “I wasn’t surprised he came back to run well today.”

Joining Killin Time and Runninagainstdwind in the top 10 was Jess a Beach Man and Edgar Diaz, who secured the final spot in the top 10 with their trial win in 18.109. The Escondido Beach gelding was in contention the entire way, grinding his way to the wire for the win by a nose in a three-way photo. Wildcat Lover and Rolando Pina finished second over Can D Girl and Giovani Vazquez Gomez.

Jess a Beach Man earned his second win in four starts. He was also a trial winner in the Gordon Mobley Futurity Trials earlier this year as he enters the QHRAI SSA Futurity Final for owner Alejandro Fuentes Garcia and trainer Claudio Barraza. Being the final qualifier on the list doesn’t have a downside for Barraza, who recently won the Gordon Mobley Futurity Final with Zoomin Feature, ranked seventh on the list of finalists for the event.

“He (Jess a Beach Man) is a high energy horse,” said Barraza. “But he is calming down. He didn’t break too good today, but he closed really hard. I have always liked this horse and I have a lot of faith in him.”

The afternoon featured 12 races on the program with QHRAI trackside for giveaways and promotions featuring a visit from the Ohio, Michigan, Indiana (OMI) Quarter Horse Queen Riata Rouch of Hartford City, Ind. Rouch is a former participant in the QHRAI Youth Racing Experience held each season at Horseshoe Indianapolis. Riata is headed to Saint-Mary-Of-The-Woods in Terre Haute, Ind., this fall and will be included in the first ever Racetrack Management program at their facility.

The 22^nd season of live Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing extends through Nov. 14. Racing is held Monday through Thursday at 2:10 p.m.

For more information on live racing at Horseshoe Indianapolis, visit www.caesars.com/horseshoe-indianapolis/racing or find the track on Social Media @HSIndyRacing.

The Shelby County Post is a digital newspaper producing news, sports, obituaries and more without a pay wall or subscription needed.